


Broken Leaf

by timelordvictorious1



Series: Greenwood Royal Family Chronicles [4]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Caring Thranduil, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Good Parent Thranduil, Head Injury, Hurt/Comfort, Mischief, Overprotective, Overprotective Thranduil, Parent Thranduil, Protective Elrond, Serious Injuries, Thranduil Not Being An Asshole, Thranduil’s A+ Parenting, parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:54:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23426575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timelordvictorious1/pseuds/timelordvictorious1
Summary: Legolas is looking forward to Lord Elrond’s visit but Thranduil is dreading it. Legolas just wants to have fun with Elladan and Elrohir, but Thranduil is wary of all the mischief they could potentially get into.This ties to my other works but it can be read on its own.
Relationships: Elladan & Elrohir & Legolas Greenleaf, Elrond Peredhel & Thranduil, Legolas Greenleaf & Thranduil
Series: Greenwood Royal Family Chronicles [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1676581
Comments: 8
Kudos: 107





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> For this story, I imagine Legolas to be the equivalent of a five year old and Elladan and Elrohir to be the equivalent of eight year olds.

Legolas had been running around, uncontrollably excited the whole week. A week ago, his father had broken the news that Lord Elrond and his twin sons were coming to visit. It was the best news he had received in recent memory. 

He didn’t have many elflings his age to play with; most were either too boring to be fun or too scared of King Thranduil to involve Legolas in any of the real fun. Legolas had broken his arm while playing with his friends a year prior, and he and his friends received such a scolding from Thranduil, one that none of them would ever forget it as long as they lived. As a result, his only fun friends began avoiding him like humans avoided the plague. 

  
He had never met the twins, but their reputation preceded them. From what Legolas had heard, they were as mischievous as they were unabashed in their mischief. They sounded so fun. They were a few years older than him, but that wouldn’t be a problem. He was an excellent rider and had no doubt he could keep up with them. Legolas had already planned out all the dangerously fun places he would take them and all of the clever white lies he would tell his father when he asked where they had gone that day.

He tried to keep his excitement hidden from his father. If he showed too much excitement, Thranduil would know he was up to something. He had to be careful. 

When a messenger interrupted his and Thranduil’s dinner to announce that Lord Elrond and his retinue had entered the forest and would be arriving late the next day, Legolas couldn’t contain himself anymore.

“You seem very excited, _tithen las,”_ said Thranduil, suspicious of Legolas’ unbridled enthusiasm.

“I’m just a little excited, Ada. I’m excited to meet Lord Elrond and his sons. They’re our kin, are they not?” Legolas tried his best to sound nonchalant. The last thing he needed was for Thranduil to become suspicious and put his foot down before they even arrived.

Thranduil smiled at Legolas. It was good for him to meet his kin. He knew that Legolas craved more family; he didn’t have siblings, aunts, uncles, or even a mother anymore. He only had his father and his “uncle” Galion. Thranduil hoped that Legolas would befriend the twins and become a sort of surrogate brother to them, but that hope came with worry. If they did become fast friends, there was no telling what mischief the three of them would get into together. He knew the twins had a penchant for pranks and mischief, and he knew all too well Legolas’ thrill-seeking ways. It was a potentially lethal combination

“Yes, you are right. They are our kin. Lord Elrond is a very old friend of mine and he was an even older friend of your mother’s.” Thranduil paused for a second. The wound of his wife’s death was still fresh; it would be a long time—if ever— before he’d be able to think of her without his heart breaking a little. Thranduil recovered quickly; he didn’t want Legolas to be sad, especially when he had just been so excited.

“Now, when they arrive I want you to help me show them around and make them feel welcome, but I don’t want you getting into any danger with Elladan and Elrohir. I don’t know what you’re planning, but I already don’t like it. You are not to pull off any dangerous stunts, Legolas. Am I making myself clear?”

Legolas rolled his eyes. “I never get into danger, Ada!”

Thranduil rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I need you to promise me, Legolas. Promise me that neither you nor Elladan and Elrohir will get into any danger while they’re here. If you don’t promise me, I will send them away as soon as they arrive!” 

“Fine, Ada! I promise! I promise! Please don’t send them away! I’m looking forward to meeting them!” he yelled frantically with tears welling in his eyes.

“Ok, _ionneg._ Don’t forget your promise, because I won’t,” he said as he ruffled Legolas’ hair. Legolas continued eating his dinner while telling Thranduil about his day. Thranduil, on the other hand, remained concerned. Promise or no, Legolas was going to need extra supervision these days. He resolved to assign Legolas a guard first thing in the morning. He hoped that would be enough to deter the mischievous elflings.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thranduil tries to temper Legolas’ disappointment.

A lone rider rode into the palace the next afternoon with news. It wasn’t bad news, just that Lord Elrond and his retinue had been delayed and would be arriving early the next day. Thranduil was concerned at the development, but the rider assured him no disaster had befallen them. Thranduil was relieved to know it wasn’t serious and let the matter go. Legolas, however, was extremely disappointed. He spent the rest of the day sulking around, upset at the fact that they were going to lose out on a whole days’ adventure and he would spend one more lonely day without friends.

Instead of the planned grand feast, Legolas and Thranduil had dinner in their private dining room by themselves, as usual. Thranduil immediately noticed Legolas’ sour mood.

“What’s wrong,  _ ionneg _ ?”

“Nothing,” answered Legolas in the most sullen tone Thranduil had ever heard from him. 

“Are you upset that our visitors didn’t arrive? It’s ok, you can tell me,” he said reassuringly.

“Just a little bit, ada.”

“And why is that? They’re still going to be here tomorrow. They were just delayed a little.”

Legolas ignored the question. Instead, he chose to continue staring at his dinner, moving it from one side of the plate to the other. Legolas wasn’t only upset about the visitors’ late arrival; he was just as upset that his father didn’t seem to understand him or how lonely he was without friends to play with. The twins arrival was his chance to finally have some fun again. He knew he shouldn’t have been upset; after all, it was only one day more. But still, he couldn’t help it.

Thranduil hated to see his son so upset. He knew that being a prince was a lonely life and that Legolas was just looking forward to someone who wasn’t afraid to play with him.

“What did you have planned for them _? _ ”

“Nothing.”

“Come one, Legolas. I know you had something planned. Will you please tell me?”

“I just wanted to go riding and show them the forest,” said Legolas on the verge of tears.

If there was one thing Thranduil couldn’t resist, it was Legolas’ tears.

“I don’t see why you have to cancel your plans. The messenger said that they’re going to be here tomorrow. If they get here early enough, aren’t too tired to go out, and are willing, you can take them out riding. But only on the condition that you be back in time for the feast.” 

Legolas looked up at his father with a huge smile on his face. All the excitement that had left him earlier came back tenfold. He was so excited that he completely forgot about his dinner; he was too busy remaking all his plans for tomorrow.

“Finish your dinner, Legolas. And remember your promise: nothing dangerous and be back on time.”

Legolas was so excited that he didn’t listen to a single word his father was saying. 

Thranduil found it extremely difficult to get Legolas into the bath and into bed that night. Legolas had spent the entire night, jumping up and down in excitement. Finally, Thranduil had to put his foot down; it was getting late and high time for Legolas to be in bed.

“Would you like me to tell you a story? Or do you want to go straight to sleep?” Thranduil asked Legolas.

“I want a story!”

Thranduil sighed. He knew that one story would turn to two, then two to four, and four to six.

“I will tell you one story, Legolas. One story. Then you will go to sleep without complaining, understood?”

Legolas shook his head eagerly in agreement. 

Six stories later, Thranduil was too sleepy to continue. He kissed Legolas on his forehead and exited the room quietly, hoping Legolas would fall asleep quickly.

As much as Legolas tried to fall asleep quickly, he couldn’t; he was too excited to sleep. He thought about how much fun he’d have and how well he’d get along with Elladan and Elrohir. He was finally going to have some real fun.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins arrive and Legolas finally has a chance to riding with them.

His excitement proved to be too much to let him fall asleep quickly. After several hours lost in excitement and thought, he was finally able to fall asleep. When he awoke the next day, he didn’t realize that it was much later than he was used to waking up. He scrambled to get out of bed, determined to be ready to leave as soon as Elladan and Elrohir arrived. He hastily braided his hair, threw on the first outfit he could find, and ran out the door with his bow and quiver. 

No sooner had he exited his room, that he heard a familiar voice call out to him. It was Galion.

“Where are you going,  _ tithen pen?” _

“I’m going for my breakfast, Galion.”

“Not dressed like that and not with that hair. Besides, breakfast has long since passed. It’s nearly midday.”

Legolas rolled his eyes. Not only was he upset that he overslept, but now Galion was standing in his way.

“Don’t worry, I told the cooks to send you some breakfast for when you awoke. It should be here soon,” said Galion, taking Legolas by the hand. “Come on. You have visitors. It won’t do for them to see Prince Legolas of the Woodland Realm dressed like a beggar.”

“Fine,” he said dejectedly, as they walked back into his room and threw his bow on the bed.

Galion tried to dress Legolas into something appropriate for his station, but Legolas refused. He said he needed something comfortable to go riding in. If there was one person Legolas had wrapped around his little finger, it was Galion. Legolas was able to convince him to let him wear an embroidered, green tunic. It was nice but still something he could move around in. Next, Galion braided Legolas’ hair while he ate the breakfast that had been brought to him. On the best days, Legolas was fidgety; but he took it to another level that day. After several attempts and more than a little hair pulling, he was finally able to make Legolas look somewhat presentable.

“Where are my ada and Lord Elrond?”

“They’re next door, in the sitting room.”

Galion had hardly finished speaking before Legolas was out the door.

He barged into the room without even bothering to knock; he knew Galion would not approve of his lack of manners, but nothing could have been farther from his mind.

The first thing he noticed was an unfamiliar brown-haired elf sitting across from his father. He was stern-looking, with an air of seriousness about him that made Legolas nervous. Thranduil had assured him that Lord Elrond was the kindest elf he would ever meet, but it sure didn’t seem that way.

“Good morning, Lord Elrond. I-I-I’m so sorry to have missed your arrival,” stammered Legolas.

Elrond noticed the tension in the princeling’s voice and smiled warmly.

“Think nothing of it, Prince Legolas. If anyone should be apologizing, it is I. Your father told me you were most disappointed to discover we were going to be late. I’m sorry for the hardship we caused you. My sons and I wanted to spend another night under the stars in your beautiful forest. We don’t have forests like these in Imladris.”

A shocked gasp escaped Legolas’ mouth. He couldn’t imagine living in a place with no forest, and it didn’t sound like a place he’d ever want to visit. 

Both Thranduil and Elrond chuckled at Legolas’ reaction. 

“I’m sorry for my bad manners Legolas. These are my sons, Elladan and Ellrohir,” said Elrond as he motioned to the two identical elflings sitting on the floor in the corner of the room. Legolas hadn’t even noticed them until Lord Elrond pointed them out.

“They are actually very anxious to meet you. The entire ride here they kept wondering if you would be kind enough to show them around.”

Maybe Legolas was wrong. Lord Elrond seemed friendly enough; he spoke softly, without an ounce of harshness. 

“I’d be honored to, Lord Elrond,” said Legolas with growing confidence. 

The twins jumped up from the floor and began making a dash for the door. Legolas wasted no time before following them, until he was stopped dead in his tracks.

Thranduil cleared his throat.

“Excuse me,  _ tithen las _ . I think you’ve forgotten something.”

“No. I don’t think I have,” said Legolas, trying to think hard about what he might be forgetting.

“You’ve forgotten you have a father who deserves a ‘good morning’ as much as Lord Elrond, I think,” said Thranduil with a playful smile. 

“I’m sorry, ada,” he said as he jumped into Thranduil’s lap. “I hope you and Lord Elrond have a good day.”

“I told the stablemaster to have horses ready for the four of you. You can leave as soon as you’re ready,” he said while planting a kiss on Legolas’ cheek. 

“ _ Hannon-le _ ! But it’s only the three of us. Elladan, Elrohir, and I.”

“Berion is going with you. He’s going to watch over you and act as your guide.”

“I don’t need a guide! Please!”

“I’m sorry,  _ ionneg.  _ That’s non-negotiable. And remember your promise.”

The look on Thranduil’s face made it clear to Legolas that there would be no arguing on this matter. Legolas excused himself and joined the twins in the hallway. He showed them the way to the stables where their horses were already waiting, just as Thranduil had said. Berion was also waiting for the elflings, just as Thranduil had said. At least it was Berion and not someone else. Legolas liked Berion; he was nice and not too strict. 

Elladan and Elrohir were surprised at how well Legolas rode his colt. He was a lot smaller than them, yet he was able to mount and dismount with an ease that they had only ever seen on older elves.

Berion let the three of them ride close together while he trailed behind them. It would be easier for them to get to know each other without him in their way. His strategy seemed to be working because they looked like they were becoming fast friends. They hadn’t stopped talking since they left the stables, a full hour ago. 

“Where are we going?” asked either Elladan or Elrohir.

They had introduced themselves to Legolas one by one, but they were so alike that it was impossible for him to tell them apart. 

“We can go to the river, the waterfalls, where the elk roam, wherever you’d like.”

“The waterfalls sound fun,” said one of the twins. 

“Good! We’ll go to the waterfalls.” 

This made Legolas very happy. He hadn’t been to the waterfalls in ages!

Berion stepped into action as soon as he heard the word “waterfalls”. He knew Legolas wasn’t allowed to go to the waterfalls; even adult elves were known to get injured on the climb there.

“No waterfalls, my Prince. You know you aren’t allowed to go there.”

Legolas was disappointed. He didn’t want the twins thinking he was a baby who needed to be coddled and babysat, but there was nothing to be done. 

“Fine, we can go to the river. Do you know how to fish?”

The twins shook their heads in unison.

Legolas led the way to the river and found a perfect spot for him to begin the twins’ lesson. He took off his boots and rolled up his leggings to be able to stand in the river. They didn’t have any rods with them, so they would have to do it the old-fashioned way.

Elladan and Elrohir were the worst fishermen he had ever seen. Even after three whole hours of teaching, they had only caught two fish between them. Legolas, on the other hand, had caught dozens. Legolas had to admit it. He was having fun, and the twins looked like they were having a blast. He still felt disappointed that Berion hadn’t let them do what they wanted, but at least he had friends who would play with him now.

They all completely lost track of the time until Berion noticed the sun was starting to set. He knew it was almost time for the feast. He also knew that King Thranduil would be extremely displeased if Legolas, Elladan, and Elrohir were late. 

“It’s time we were off, my Prince. Your father instructed that you all be back in time for the feast.”

Legolas started moving towards the riverbank when he suddenly slipped on what must have been a rock and fell flat on his bottom. It wasn’t a serious fall; the river wasn’t even that deep nor was the current strong. Still, Berion sprang into action as if Legolas’ life depended on it and carried him out. Berion looked Legolas over to make sure nothing was broken. It appeared to him that the only injury was a cut on the sole of Legolas’ foot. Berion took some supplies from his saddlebags to treat the wound. He expertly rubbed a salve over the cut and bandaged it. 

Legolas thought Berion was fussing over nothing; it wasn’t anywhere near a life or death situation. It was just a small cut; he’d dealt with worse injuries before. What did worry Legolas was his father. Judging by how low the sun was getting, he knew he might not be able to keep his promise of being on time. That was a scarier thought than any injury he could have gotten.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Legolas and the twins have an idea.

“Is Legolas back yet?” Thranduil asked nervously.

Galion sensed the nervousness in his voice. He thought Thranduil could be just a tad overprotective at times, but he didn’t blame him. It was only natural to be overprotective, especially since Erynith was killed. 

“I’m sure they’re fine. You said Berion was with them. He’d die first rather than let anything happen to Legolas. I’m sure they just lost track of time, as Legolas is wont to do.”

Thranduil sighed deeply. Galion had a point. Legolas was in good hands. Berion was one of the best, and he was extremely fond of Legolas. Nothing would happen to Legolas on Berion’s watch. 

Galion was helping Thranduil change for dinner when a very wet and dirty Legolas walked into the room. It didn’t escape Thranduil’s notice that Legolas appeared to be limping and had blood smeared on his tunic. At least Thranduil would finally be able to breathe a sigh of relief. But that sigh of relief was followed by Thranduil’s wrath.

“You said you wouldn’t be late, Legolas,” he growled through gritted teeth.

“I’m not late, ada. The feast hasn’t started yet and you aren’t even changed yet.”

“Don’t get cheeky, Legolas. You promised you would be on time, and now look. You can’t be seen in public like this. Go and take a bath immediately and don't dawdle! When you’re done, Galion will help you into something presentable.”

Legolas walked out with his head lowered. He didn’t think he was that late, but he knew better than to argue in situations like this.

“Galion, I can finish dressing myself. Please go make an announcement that we will be starting half an hour later than planned. And make sure Lord Elrond knows.”

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

The feast went off smoothly, except for starting half an hour later than planned. Legolas had hoped that the dancing and abundant wine would be enough for Thranduil to forget his anger and enjoy it, but he was wrong. Thranduil spent the entire night scowling at him.

Elrond noticed the discord between father and son during dinner, but decided to keep silent until after the festivities were over. He waited until Legolas, Elladan, and Elrohir had all gone to bed to search for Thranduil. Galion informed him that Thranduil was in his sitting room unwinding with a glass of wine. 

Elrond gently knocked on the door.

“Come in,” he heard Thranduil respond.

Elrond opened the door and settled himself in the same seat he had been seated only hours ago. 

“I just wanted to give you my thanks for tonight’s wonderful festivities. Elladan and Elrohir are in love with your kingdom.”

“You are most welcome.”

An uncomfortable silence followed. Thranduil was not in the mood for conversation. It was clear to Elrond that he would have to pry more conversation out of him.

“You shouldn’t be mad at him, Thranduil. The boys told me they lost track of time because he was teaching them how to fish.”

A long silence followed before Thranduil found the words to respond.

“I’m not mad at him. I’m angry at myself. Since Erynith died, all I want to do is keep him close to me. I find myself nervous every time he goes out. I know I shouldn't, but that’s what happens. And then, afterwards, I’m angry at myself for not trusting him, for not letting him be himself or letting him behave like children do.

Elrond understood. He couldn’t imagine losing Celebrian, and he definitely couldn’t imagine raising a young son on his own. 

“I think you’re doing your best, Thranduil.”

Thranduil scoffed and said, “You say ‘your best’ because you don’t think I’m doing a good job raising him.”

Elrond chuckled. “From what the boys tell me, you’re doing a far better job than we are. They told me that he’s a better rider and fisherman than they are. He’s a wonderful elfling, Thranduil. The boys want to challenge him to an archery contest because he left them feeling so inadequate. Erynith would be proud. Of both of you.” 

Just the mention of her name brought tears to his eyes. Elrond pretended not to notice while Thranduil brushed them away. 

“It’s late. I should be turning in. Good night,” said Thranduil with a hint of sadness in his voice.

“Good night. I hope you sleep well, my friend,”

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

The next morning, Legolas was awake before anyone else. He felt terrible for upsetting his father last night. He quietly made his way to his father’s room. Thranduil was a light sleeper and was already awake before Legolas had even shut the door.

Legolas quietly climbed into the large bed and snuggled up beside his father.

“Good morning, ada!”

“Good morning, little leaf,” responded Thranduil groggily. 

“Ada?”

“What is it?”

“I wanted to apologize for last night. I’m sorry I broke my promise.”

“It’s alright, Legolas. I’m sorry I reacted the way I did.”

Legolas and Thranduil lay in silence for several minutes before Thranduil spoke again.

“Did you have fun with Elladan and Elrohir? Lord Elrond said that you taught them how to fish.”

Legolas jumped up and down excitedly, completely forgetting about his injured foot. Finally, he had a chance to tell his father how much fun he had with the twins.

“I did, ada. They’re so fun to be with. They told me all about the pranks they’ve played on Lord Elrond and on someone named Glorfindel. They said they’d teach me! I gave them lessons in fishing without a rod, but I can’t say they learned anything. They’re the worst!”

“Why don’t you spar with them today. Elrond said they want to challenge you to an archery contest.”

“Do you think I can beat them, ada? They’re so much bigger than I am.”

“I’m sure you can beat them! One day, you’re going to be the best archer in the whole kingdom.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Well...maybe second only to your father!” Thranduil added playfully before getting up and grabbing hold of the elfling jumping on his bed.

Legolas convinced Thranduil to join him in jumping up and down on the bed. Galion, much to his surprise, walked in soon after to the sight of both of them jumping as high as they could. It was clear to him that whatever disagreements they had the night before had already blown over. 

“Boys! It’s time to stop! It’s time to get ready for breakfast,” yelled Galion in order to be heard over their boisterous laughter. 

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

The rest of the day passed by too quickly for Legolas’ liking. He and the twins gobbled their breakfast down as quickly as they could. As soon as they finished, they raced to the archery range. After several matches there was a clear winner: Legolas. No matter the contest, archery, swords, or knives, he was able to beat both Elladan and Elrohir each time. He spent what was left of the day helping them improve their archery, feeling extremely proud of himself.

“Legolas, do you think your father will let us go to the waterfalls tomorrow?” asked Elrohir. In their time together, Legolas had learned to tell them apart. Elladan was the most easygoing and least competitive and had a sheepish smile. Elrohir was the jokester, the most talkative, and always had an impish grin on his face.

“We both really want to see the waterfalls,” he added.

“I don’t think he’ll let us.” 

“Ask him, please! It’s what we’ve most been looking forward to!”

“I’ll ask him,” answered Legolas, although he already knew the response that awaited him. 

“Maybe, we can still find a way to go, even if he says ‘no’,” added Elrohir.

Legolas’ face lit up. Finally, he had met two kindred spirits who thought the way he did. 

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Legolas had to pick his moment. If he chose the wrong one, he’d get shot down quickly. He made sure to behave himself and waited until after dinner. Thranduil was in merry spirits; that was a good sign. Legolas recounted the days’ events, all the contests he’d won and the lessons he’d given to the twins. Elrond found the boys’ stories extremely entertaining, and found it amusing that his sons were being taught by such a young elf. 

After Elrond, Elladan, and Elrohir had gone to bed, Legolas decided to make his move. 

“Ada?”

“Yes?”

“Do you think Elladan, Elrohir, and I can go out again tomorrow?”

“I don’t see why not,  _ penneth.  _ There’s nothing planned for tomorrow, so you can go out as early as you want and come back as late as you like.”

“You’re the best, ada!” exclaimed Legolas as he gave his father a hug.

“I can send word to the cooks to have a basket ready for you, if you’d like to have a picnic.”

“That’d be great! Do you think we can have the picnic at the waterfalls?”

“No.”

The curtness of the response surprised Legolas. He knew it would be difficult to persuade him now.

“Why not, ada?!”

“Because it’s a dangerous climb. And I don’t want you or Elladan or Elrohir putting yourselves at risk! Remember what you promised before they arrived. You promised you wouldn’t do anything dangerous!”

“But—”

“I won’t hear another word on the subject. I’ve made my decision and that’s flat!”

Legolas stormed off without saying good night. He was furious at his father. Everyone said he had the skills of a much older elf, yet his father still treated him like an infant. He slammed the door to his room as he walked in and walked in and out of his bathing chamber, just to be able to slam a door two more times. 

Thranduil was glad that Elrond had already left before the confrontation began. The last thing he wanted was to have Elrond judging his parenting again. He decided to give Legolas a few minutes to cool off before attempting to talk to him again. He wondered if he had been this difficult growing up. He remembered countless screaming matches with his father, but he didn’t remember rebelling at such a young age. Maybe he was purposely forgetting. He walked to Legolas’ room without asking to come in. He wasn’t sure Legolas would have let him in if he had asked.

“Legolas?”

“Go away. I’m asleep,” said an angry little voice.

“Can you please talk to me?”

“No. I’m asleep.”

“I’m going to stay here until you talk to me.”

“I can’t talk when I’m asleep,” he said through gritted teeth. 

“Do you want to be alone?”

“Yes.”

“Good night,  _ tithen las _ . I love you.”

Thranduil was met with silence. It broke his heart to have Legolas angry enough to not even say “good night”.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Legolas and the twins set their plan in motion.

Legolas spent all night devising a way to go to the waterfalls. The twins were right, there had to be a way to go, even without Thranduil’s permission.

By morning, he thought he had a way, but he would need the twins’ help to do it.

“Legolas! What did your father say?” asked Elrohir.

They had all gathered in the dining room for breakfast. Luckily, Thranduil and Lord Elrond hadn’t come in yet, so they had a few minutes to go over the plan.

“He said ‘no’. But I think I have away. All we need is to distract Berion long enough for us to get away. Then I can show you to the waterfalls.”

“What do you need us to do?” both twins said in unison. 

“We’re going to have a picnic in the woods. While we’re eating, I’ll distract Berion and you two will loosen the saddle on his horse. Then we’ll mount our horses and ride away as quickly as we can. When he tries to chase us, he’ll fall off his saddle and that will give us enough time to get away from him. We’ll take the horses to the river, that way he won’t be able to track where we went.”

“That’s brilliant, Legolas!” exclaimed Elladan.

“We’ll do it. Whatever you need!” added Elrohir.

Lord Elrond and Thranduil came in soon after. The elflings had mutually decided that it would be less suspicious if they didn’t talk to each other too much during breakfast, so they dispersed and greeted their respective fathers.

That task was a little more difficult for Legolas since he was still angry at his. 

He knew that the whole adventure depended on this, so he sucked it up and tried to act normal.

“Ada, we decided to have a picnic in the clearing where the elk like to graze. Is that alright with you?”

There was a tightness in Legolas’ voice that made Thranduil suspect that Legolas was still angry at him. He was glad that Legolas had at least seen reason throughout the course of the night. 

“Of course it is,  _ penneth, _ ” answered Thranduil sweetly.

  
  


The rest of breakfast went by smoothly. No arguments, no quarrels, and most importantly, none of the elflings let their plan slip. As soon as they were done they rushed off to the stables where Berion and their horses were already waiting. 

  
  
  


None of them could wait any longer, so they set their plan in motion sooner than anticipated. Only half an hour after finishing breakfast, they all started to complain that they were hungry. Berion thought it strange for them all to be hungry so soon after breakfast, but didn’t question them. Berion set out the picnic spread for the three of them while they whispered amongst themselves.

Legolas began asking Berion question after question, hoping that they’d distract him enough for one of the twins to do their job. When that was done, they all proclaimed that they were full. Berion suspected they were up to something, but he couldn’t have guessed what. While Berion was clearing away the picnic, the three of them mounted their horses with lightning-quick speed and set off. 

Berion yelled for them to wait but they seemed to not hear him. He kept yelling for them to stop until he decided to leave the picnic behind. He mounted his horse and set off after them, only for him to fall a few seconds later. He struggled to get up and suspected he had dislocated his shoulder when he hit the ground. Worst of all, the elflings were gone. He couldn’t see them, nor any traces of them. He remembered their desire to see the waterfalls a couple days ago. That had to be where they were heading. It took him several tries to be able to mount his horse. Even after he was able to mount it, his shoulder was hurting too much to allow him to go very fast.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Legolas was ecstatic. His plan worked and they were finally free to go wherever they fancied. He knew the fastest way to the waterfalls and, before they even knew it, they had arrived.

The twins gaped at the majestic beauty of the waterfalls. They were just as beautiful as everyone had said. Imladris had waterfalls too, but they were nothing compared to these. It wasn’t enough for them to just see the waterfalls; they had to climb to the top, or else the whole trip would have been a waste. 

They were about half of the way up when a crazy idea popped into Elrohir’s head. 

“Have you ever tried jumping from the top?” Elrohir asked Legolas.

“No I haven’t. It’s too dangerous. Most of us don’t climb any higher than we are now, the rocks are slippery towards the top. It’s easy to fall down.”

“Should we keep going?” asked Elladan nervously.

“I’ve been to the top before. I can do it. We can stop if you want to.”

Legolas very much hoped that they wanted to stop. It was true, he had been to the top, but that was once and with the help of his father. Thranduil had to carry him half of the way, but he didn’t want to be the one to chicken out.

They climbed a little higher until Elladan had had enough.

“You can keep climbing if you want. I’m going back down. I liked the view from down there.”

Legolas, who was leading the way, started to turn around, to follow Elladan, when he bumped into Elrohir. Legolas lost his foothold and, before he knew it, plunged into the water below. Elladan and Elrohir climbed down as quickly as they could. They didn’t know what to do. They saw Legolas go under and he hadn’t come back up yet. They couldn’t go in after him, the current was too strong and neither of them was a great swimmer.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Berion was right. The elflings had gone to the waterfalls. He found their trail soon enough and was able to follow it and rode as fast as he could until the waterfalls came into view. Sure enough, he saw three horses tied to a tree and three elflings climbing towards the top of the waterfall. He got there just in time to see Legolas plunge into the river. Without a moment’s hesitation, he jumped into the water and swam towards where he saw Legolas hit the water. He dove underwater and was able to quickly locate him. He pulled Legolas up, noting that he had a big cut on his forehead. It worried him that Legolas might have received a head injury, but there were bigger things to think of at that moment. Legolas appeared to not be breathing. It took Berion a lot longer than normal to reach the shore; he had his dislocated shoulder to thank for that. When he finally reached the shore he realized Legolas was turning blue. Berion was right; Legolas wasn’t breathing. He tried to do compressions on his chest while the twins looked on in horror. Berion’s shoulder prevented him from doing successful compressions. 

Elladan quickly gathered his wits to help Berion.

“Adar taught us how to do this. I can do it.”

It seemed like he did chest compressions on Legolas for hours and it didn’t seem to be working. He couldn’t give up; he kept doing them until Legolas began to cough up water and started taking deep breaths.

They all breathed a sigh of relief. At least that was one problem taken care of. 

Legolas was still unconscious, but at least he was breathing. 

“Quick! Give me your cloaks!” yelled Berion to the boys.

They both ran to their horses and retrieved their cloaks from their saddlebags. The river was ice cold, and Berion knew he had to keep Legolas warm if he wanted him to survive. 

By some small miracle, he was able to mount his horse on the first try. He held onto the reins with his good hand and held Legolas with the injured one. Berion usually carried a horn with him, to signal an emergency, and this was as good a time as any to use it. He handed it to one of the twins and told them to keep blowing it. Hopefully, someone at the palace would hear it and send riders out to meet them. That way he’d be able to hand over the little princeling to someone who was able to ride faster. 

Berion eventually heard riders coming. They were riding fast, heading in their direction. After a couple of minutes, the riders came into eyesight. Their leader was none other than King Thranduil.


	6. Chapter 6

Thranduil felt a sharp pain in his chest that brought him to his knees. He had felt this pain before and knew exactly what it meant. It meant that somewhere, one of his loved ones was in grave peril. More precisely, it meant that the only being who he loved more than anything else in all of Arda was dying or close to death. 

He ran to the stables as fast as his legs could carry him and ordered his horse and a dozen of the guards to be ready to leave immediately. As everyone was getting ready Elrond ran into the stables.

“Thranduil, I’ve had a vision. Something terrible is going to happen.”

“If it’s Legolas you speak of, it’s already happened. I don’t know what, but I know he’s in grave danger.” Elrond’s visions were no match for a father’s love.

Before Elrond could respond, they all heard the sound of a horn in the distance. One of the guards recognized it as Berion’s.

Without a second thought, Thranduil mounted his horse and rode out of the stables with the guards in tow. Thranduil was desperate; the entire ride seemed to take an eternity and all he could think was about losing his son. It would destroy him. 

They followed the sound of the horn as it grew louder and louder. He finally saw Berion riding towards him with a small bundle in his arms.

Berion stopped his horse and waited for Thranduil to come to him. Any further and he was sure he would have fallen from his horse. 

Thranduil closed the distance between them in mere seconds.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” he said weakly, as he handed Legolas to Thranduil. 

Thranduil couldn’t hear a word Berion was saying. All he could do was look at his baby, his precious little leaf. He couldn’t lose Legolas too. He just couldn’t, not when he’d already lost his wife and nearly everyone else.

He forced those thoughts out of his head. It was not the time for pessimism and those thoughts certainly wouldn’t help Legolas. 

Before heading back to the palace, he yelled for someone to help Berion back. Elladan and Elrohir followed Thranduil, though he outstripped them and left them trailing behind. 

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

As soon as Thranduil had left, Elrond went to the healing wing. He knew Elladan and Elrohir hadn’t been harmed, but he had no idea about the guard Berion. Elrond ordered a bed to be made ready for him, just in case, and oversaw the preparations of a private room for Legolas. Bandages, pain relieving draughts, and anything else he thought might help them was prepared. 

Thranduil barged into the healing wing with Legolas in his arms. Legolas was wrapped in what he recognized as Elladan and Elrohir’s cloaks. Elrond signalled for Thranduil to take Legolas into the other room. Thranduil laid him on the bed as gently as physically possible, not wanting to inflict any more pain on Legolas. Elladan and Elrohir rushed in soon after, panting and yelling for their adar. Elrond had to yell at them to be quiet. He needed silence to be able to concentrate.

Legolas was freezing cold. Thankfully, someone had already thought to start a fire to warm him as quickly as possible. Elrond removed his sopping wet clothing and wrapped him in the warmest blankets available. Next, he started the wound on Legolas’ head. He could sense that Legolas had fractured his skull, but it was a small fracture. It would eventually heal. What concerned Elrond most was Legolas’ neck. He could tell that his neck had been broken in the fall, but only time would tell if the fall had affected Legolas’ ability to walk.

Elrond wanted to make sure Legolas wouldn’t wake up and feel pain or panic, so he gave him strong pain and sleeping draughts. The draughts were the strongest Elrond had at his disposal and would ensure that he slept at least three days, and allow him use the time to enter into the restorative healing sleep he desperately needed. Elrond also ordered that the healers commission a brace for Legolas, to keep his head and neck immobile, as soon as possible. The ones they had at their disposal were simply too big for an elfling so small. 

After tending to Legolas’ injuries, Elrond turned his attention to Thranduil. He was standing in a corner, motionless and deathly pale. Elrond spoke softly to Thranduil, but he didn’t listen. He shook Thranduil to get his attention. Thranduil reacted as if he were waking from a nightmare.

“How bad is it?”

“I’ll be able to tell more when he regains consciousness. I can tell he broke his neck and fractured his skull. But he’s young and strong. I have every faith that he’ll come through.”

Elrond decided not to mention the possibility of Legolas losing the ability to walk. They’d cross that bridge when they came to it.

“Come, Thranduil. We must let him rest. The draughts I gave him are strong. He will sleep for the next several days. You should rest,” spoke Elrond softly.

“No. I won’t leave him. I won’t leave him alone. Absolutely not,” responded Thranduil adamantly.

Elrond knew it was pointless to argue; he’d do the exact same thing if it were one of his sons.

Elrond and his sons exited the room and left Thranduil in peace. Elrond left word with the head healer that he had given him something to let him sleep, but to call him if there was any change. Before exiting the healing wing, he was stopped by Berion, who looked unharmed except for the arm was already securely in a splint. 

“Lord Elrond! How is Prince Legolas? I know it’s all my fault!”

“Peace, Master Berion. We need some time to fully assess his condition. And if I know my children,” he said as he glared at Elladan and Elrohir, “they’re far more at fault than you are.”

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Elrond walked the twins into his room and sat them down on the bed.

“Whenever you’re ready,” he said as he brought a chair and sat across from them.

Neither of the twins could look up to face him. They stared at the floor, at their shoes, the rug, anything rather than face him. 

“I’m waiting.”

There were several more minutes of silence between them. 

Both the twins began to stammer at the same time. They both felt guilty for chivvying Legolas into sneaking off. By the look on Elrond’s face, he blamed them too.

“Elladan, tell me what happened.”

Elladan recounted the tale from the beginning. He didn’t leave out that they had both planted the idea of sneaking off into Legolas’ head.

“You are older than he is! You’re supposed to know better! Go to your rooms, both of you! You are both confined to your rooms until I say otherwise. And think about what you've done!”

The twins stood up and walked out with their heads slumped as low as they could go. Elrond knew they both loved mischief, but they usually played harmless pranks on innocent bystanders. No one had ever been hurt until that day.

He decided that he owed Thranduil an apology, since it was his boys that started the whole thing. 


	7. Chapter 7

Elrond walked back to Legolas’ healing room and entered without knocking. 

Thranduil was sitting almost lifelessly beside Legolas’ bed; he had obviously been crying for some time.

Elrond couldn't decide who looked worse, Thranduil or Legolas. Legolas was pale because he had lost a lot of blood, but his neck had already been placed in a brace and he seemed to be sleeping deeply and peacefully.

Thranduil, on the other hand, was even paler than Legolas; had Elrond not seen the rise and fall of Thranduil’s chest, he could have easily mistaken him for a corpse.

“I’d prefer to be alone,” said Thranduil hoarsely

“I don’t think you should be alone, Thranduil. Not at a time like this.”

“Do as you wish then.”

Elrond pulled up a chair and sat opposite Thranduil. After a few minutes he cleared his throat to speak.

“The boys told me what happened. It wasn’t Berion’s fault.”

“I really couldn’t care less.”

Elrond recounted what his sons told him.

“I understand if you blame Elladan and Elrohir,” he added. 

Thranduil smiled a rueful smile. He didn’t blame the twins; it wouldn’t be fair to blame them. He knew his son and knew that he liked to court danger. 

“I don’t blame them. I know Legolas. This was probably as much his idea as it was theirs. It was only a matter of time before they decided to do something insane together.”

After a pause, Thranduil said, “Do you really think he’ll live? Tell me the truth. I don’t think I’ll survive if he doesn’t. He’s all I have left.”

“I do. It’s a promising sign that he survived. There is a chance that he might not be able to walk when he wakes up.”

“I don’t care about that. As long as he survives, I’ll take what I can get.”

Thranduil felt a little better. If the best healer in all of Arda believed Legolas was going to survive, then he had a reason to be hopeful. 

Elrond studied Thranduil’s face. He hadn’t realized that the father and son looked a great deal alike.

“You know, in your letters, you never mentioned that he looks so much like you.”

“All I see when I look at him is his mother. He has her eyes, her smile, her kindness, her sense of humor. He takes after her a lot more than he takes after me.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. From what I’ve seen in the past couple of days, he’s a great deal like you.”

Their conversation was interrupted by Galion.

“My lords, I’ve had dinner set in the dining room. I can keep watch over Legolas while you eat.”

“You go Elrond. I’m not leaving his side.”

For the next three days, Thranduil sat vigil at Legolas’ side. He didn’t leave the room, eat, or sleep the entire time. At mealtimes, Galion brought Thranduil a tray, hoping he’d at least eat a couple of mouthfuls, only to be disappointed to take the tray away untouched. 

Elrond came in to check up on Thranduil and Legolas periodically. Mainly, he did it to check up on Thranduil because he knew it still wasn’t time for Legolas to wake. Everytime Elrond came in, he became more concerned, not for Legolas, but for Thranduil. He could tell that Legolas was getting better just by looking at him, but Thranduil was getting worse by the minute.

He was emaciated, pale, with dark circles under his eyes. Elrond tried to assure him that Legolas was already getting better, but Thranduil refused to believe it until he saw Legolas awake with his own eyes.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Elrond went to Legolas’ room on the fourth morning. He found Thranduil sitting in the same place he had been sitting since it all began. As usual, there was an untouched meal beside him. 

“You need to eat something. I know you haven’t eaten in days.”

“I’m not hungry,” he growled.

“You still need to keep your strength up. It won’t do for Legolas to get better while you slowly waste away. Why don’t you go take a bath? It will help you relax.”

“Can’t you understand? I don’t want to relax. I can't relax until he wakes up. I don’t want him to ever feel like I abandoned him.”

Elrond knew he was fighting a losing battle. He suggested that they all eat breakfast there, to which Thranduil reluctantly agreed.

Breakfast was quiet, the twins were quieter than Elrond ever seen them before. Thranduil only stared at his food and pretended to eat; he pushed his food around his plate, much like Legolas did when he was upset.

Thranduil couldn’t bear it; he decided to take a break from staring at his food to check on his elfling.

When he looked towards Legolas, he saw two big, expressionless, green eyes staring back at him.

Thranduil abruptly stood up from his seat, almost knocking the table over, and ran to Legolas’ side. Elrond followed suit and joined him only a couple of seconds later.

“Don’t move,  _ tithen las,”  _ whispered Thranduil.

Elrond uncovered Legolas’ foot and pinched the sole of his foot. 

Legolas’ face remained expressionless, but his foot instinctively twitched when Elrond pinched him. 

Thranduil looked to Elrond to ask him what his foot twitching meant, but Elrond’s smile said it all.

It was a good sign! Thranduil broke into tears and silently thanked the Valar for saving his son. Never, even if he lived one million years, would he ever forget the relief and gratitude he felt at that moment.

“I’m going to give him a sleeping draught. He’s getting better already, but he still needs time to fully heal,” said Elrond quietly.

He gently opened Legolas’ mouth and poured the liquid in. Even Legolas’ disgusted face at the liquid made Thranduil smile. 

“I’ll be here when you wake up,  _ tithen las _ ,” whispered Thranduil so only Legolas could hear.

Thranduil saw Legolas get sleepier and sleepier until he finally closed his eyes. 

Now that Legolas was through the worst of it, the atmosphere was a lot less tense.

Galion brought in books for Thranduil, Elrond, and the twins to read while they waited for Legolas to reawaken. None of them cared that it would be several hours before that happened, they were too happy to care.

  
  
  
  


“Ada?” spoke a quiet little voice.

The voice took them all by surprise; they had been sitting in complete silence for hours, engrossed in their books.

“Yes, little leaf?” replied Thranduil as he put his book away.

“I’m sorry, ada.”

“Don’t worry about it. I just want you to get better, okay. Let’s not talk about that. You know who’s here? Elladan and Elrohir. They miss you and have been desperate to talk to you. Would you like to talk to them?”

“Yes, please.”

Thranduil walked over to the twins, who were sitting at the back of the room, and whispered, “You can talk to him, but talk about something other than the accident.”

They both approached cautiously, careful not to bump into the bed or to move Legolas in any way.. Neither of them knew what to say. One of them said the first thing that occurred to him.

“Legolas, we were wondering if you can give us another archery lesson when you’re better? We want to be as good as you are someday.”

Legolas couldn’t tell which twin was which; he normally told them apart by their different demeanors, but they were both equally somber.

“I can teach you whenever you like.”

Legolas studied his father’s face. He looked gaunt and exhausted. It was clear to him that his father hadn’t been sleeping or eating.

“Ada?”

“Yes?” answered Thranduil as he stepped closer to the bed.

“Can you do me one favor to make me feel better?”

“Of course,  _ tithen las. _ Anything you want.”

“I want you to promise that you’re going to eat something and sleep. You look tired. Dan and Ro can keep me company. We won’t get into trouble, I promise,” he said with a faint mischievous smile. 

The last comment made Thranduil smile. Even in life and death situations, his son still managed to be as cheeky as ever. 

Elrond took that as his cue.

“He’s right. Don’t think I didn’t notice that you didn’t eat any breakfast and you haven’t slept in days. Go. Take a couple of hours and you’ll feel much better. The three of us will keep him company.”

Thranduil was in a tight spot. He had already agreed to do what Legolas wanted, but the last thing he wanted was to leave Legolas’ side.

Legolas, Elrond, Elladan, and Elrohir stared him down until he relented. 

  
  


Thranduil sighed in defeat. “I promise I’ll get some sleep and I’ll try to eat something. You’ll send for me if anything changes?”

“Of course. You have my word,” replied Elrond.

Thranduil had no choice but to walk away in defeat.


	8. Chapter 8

Thranduil did as he was ordered and went straight to bed. The only problem was that his mind was too busy to let him sleep. The events of the last couple of days seemed so surreal to him. The enormity of the situation was crashing down on him. While sitting at Legolas’ bedside, all he could think about was him getting better. Now that Legolas was on the mend, he thought about how close Legolas had been to dying; he had come a hair’s breadth away from losing his only child.

He decided that he couldn’t sleep while Legolas was still healing. He made his way back to the healing wing, hoping that Elrond and the twins had gone to their rooms to rest.

He had no such luck.

Elrond immediately turned him away. Elrond knew Thranduil to be one of the most, if not the most, stubborn elves alive, so he took steps to ensure that Thranduil went to sleep. Elrond summoned Galion and ordered him to take dinner to Thranduil. He also gave Galion a draught to add to Thranduil’s food that would ensure he got a good night’s sleep. 

Galion took Thranduil the food as planned, but Thranduil paid no heed to it.

There was no other way around it; Galion would have to lie through his teeth.

“I stopped by Legolas’ room. He asked me if you were sleeping.”

Thranduil had been looking through the paperwork that had piled up in the past days while happily ignoring Galion until he mentioned Legolas. Thranduil put his papers down and immediately began to feel guilty.

“I promised him that I would make sure you ate and slept. So far, I’m not keeping that promise.”

“It’s not my fault you make promises you can’t keep,” replied Thranduil smugly.

“And what about you? You promised him you’d eat and sleep and look at you! Wide awake!” continued Galion.

Galion was met with a guilty silence.

“Very well then. I shall go inform your son that you are not keeping your promise. I just don’t know how you want him to keep his promises if you don’t keep yours.”

Galion was halfway out the door before Thranduil gave in. He hated it when Galion and Legolas teamed up against him.

It turned out that Elrond had overdone it with the draught. The point was for Thranduil to eat his meal, then sleep, but after a couple of forkfuls before he began feeling woozy. Galion just barely managed to help him out of his outer robes and into bed just as he completely passed out.

  
  
  
  


Thranduil was furious the next day. He had slept until well after midday; he wouldn’t have awakened if not for Galion coming in check up on him. He made sure to give Galion an earful before taking a bath and getting changed as quickly as he could. He walked into the healing wing, planning to give Elrond an earful as well, but his anger instantly dissipated after seeing his son.

Legolas looked a great deal better. His color was back and he was sitting up, laughing at a story the twins were telling him. Thranduil breathed a huge sigh of relief; the sight truly convinced him that the worst was truly over. 

Elrond excused himself and took the twins with him. He was exhausted and knew Thranduil wanted some alone time with his son.

Legolas and Thranduil spent the rest of the afternoon talking and telling each other stories. Legolas recounted the pranks that the twins had told him about and Thranduil told Legolas about the tricks and pranks he used to play on his ada when he was an elfling. Thranduil immediately regretted telling Legolas about those pranks; he didn’t want Legolas getting any ideas about playing pranks on him.

Galion brought dinner for both of them some time later. Since Legolas’ neck brace made it extremely difficult for him to feed himself, Galion stayed to help him eat and to watch Thranduil to make sure he ate his dinner. 

“I hope you haven’t poisoned this one too,” said Thranduil.

“Eat it and you’ll find out.”

Thranduil rolled his eyes and ate his dinner in sullen silence while Galion conversed with Legolas.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Three days later, the wound on Legolas’ head had healed enough for the bandage to be removed, and Elrond declared that Legolas could get out of bed as long as he was very careful.

Legolas was ecstatic to finally be allowed to walk again. He was grateful to Lord Elrond for looking after him, but so many days of sitting in bed, doing nothing, were driving him crazy. He still had to wear the neck brace while walking, but it was still better than going crazy.

The citizens of the Greenwood were all delighted to see Legolas up and about. News about Legolas’ accident had spread like wildfire, and since nothing travels faster than gossip, there were even rumors that Legolas had died or was near death. Thankfully, none of these rumors ever reached Thranduil’s ear.

Legolas, Thranduil, Elrond, and the twins walked to the archery range, where the twins wanted to show their ada how much their archery had improved after only one lesson with Legolas.

Seeing Elladan and Elrohir with their bows in their hands made Legolas jealous. There was nothing he wanted more in that moment than to be able to hold his bow and shoot a couple of arrows. Legolas looked up to his father, who already knew what Legolas was thinking.

“Only if Elrond says you can,” he answered before Legolas could even ask the question.

Legolas knew he had to give Elrond the look. The look that, when used properly, could melt the heart of anyone who looked upon it. It was usually reserved for his father or Galion, but it was almost guaranteed to work on Elrond too. 

Elrond was no match for the look; he gave in without Legolas even having to ask.

Legolas resisted the urge to jump up and down in excitement because that would have landed him straight in bed again.

They all spent the entire day on the range. Legolas helped the twins while they pretended to be furious that Legolas could still beat them with a broken neck. 

Thranduil looked on with great pride. It amazed him that even with a broken neck, Legolas still found ways to be kind and generous with everyone, just like his mother. He was equally amazed at Legolas’ skill; he concluded that Legolas would definitely be the best archer in the kingdom one day, possibly the best on all of Arda.

  
  
  
  
  
  


The brace stayed on for two more weeks. Since Legolas still wasn’t allowed to spar with knives or swords, most days were spent visiting the archery range.

One day, the three elflings ran into Berion at the archery range. He had been training to get back into fighting shape since his injury.

All three boys wanted to hide under a rock since it was their fault that he had gotten injured in the first place. They knew they would have to apologize; there was no way around it.

Legolas knew he would have to speak first, since it was his idea that had caused all this.

“Berion, first, I want to thank you for saving me. They told me I’d be dead if you hadn’t come. I owe you my life and I’ll never forget it. I also wanted to apologize for hurting you. It was my idea. I didn’t think you would get hurt, but that doesn’t excuse what I did,” said Legolas in a meek, trembling voice.

The only reason his apology came out so well was because he had been practicing it for days, hoping for an opportunity would arise.

Elladan and Elrohir took turns apologizing too.

Berion accepted the apologies. He wasn’t angry; he understood what it was to be young and what it took for the elflings to muster the courage to apologize. It also didn’t hurt that he was fiercely loyal to his King and Prince. 

Thranduil and Elrond had been standing several steps away. Thranduil knew it was now his turn. He walked towards Berion, who bowed his head in deference.

“Berion, it’s now my turn to apologize. I haven’t thanked you for saving my son. I will forever be in your debt.”

“Think nothing of it. It was an honor to make myself useful, Your Majesty.”

“Still, you have my most sincere thanks for the service you performed for my son and me. I’ve spoken to General Feren. There’s a promotion waiting for you when you’re ready to return to your duties.”

“Thank you, my King!”

After Berion left, Thranduil carefully picked up Legolas.

“I’m very proud of you,  _ tithen las _ . One of the most important things of being grown up is recognizing and admitting when you’ve made a mistake. And now you’re one step closer.”

Like most elflings, Legolas was thrilled with the idea of being closer to growing up. 

“Ada? When do you think I can go riding again?”

Legolas and Thranduil turned to Elrond, who simply responded, “Two weeks.”

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Two weeks to the day later, Legolas convinced himself to ask his father to let him and the twins go riding. As always, he chose his moment. Ever since Legolas began recovering from his accident, Thranduil had been in a great mood, better than Legolas had ever seen him. He waited until they were all together eating dinner.

“Ada? Can we go riding tomorrow?”

Thranduil put wine goblet down. His first instinct was a hard “no”. But before he could respond, Legolas interrupted.

“Two weeks ago, I asked how long it would take for me to be able to ride again. Elrond said two weeks. It has been two weeks. Can we go?”

Legolas gave Thranduil the look.

“Of course,  _ ion-nin _ . I’ll send word to the stables,” answered Thranduil with a smile.

Legolas was shocked. He hadn’t expected it to be that easy. His father must have been in a  _ really _ good mood. 

Legolas wasn’t the only one who was shocked. Elrond, Elladan, and Elrohir all looked at Thranduil in disbelief. 

When the elflings weren’t looking, Thranduil playfully winked at the Elrond. He was up to something.

They were all up extra early the next day. The boys were all excited to finally be able to leave the palace again. 

Thranduil and Elrond walked the boys to the stables. Legolas was bewildered at what he saw. He had expected to see Berion waiting for them, but not this. Berion was there, along with a company of twenty guards, all getting ready to depart.

“I’m sorry, Legolas. I forgot to tell you. Captain Berion and his company will be escorting you, to make sure you stay out of trouble. They won’t let the three of you out of their sight for even a second,” said Thranduil with a wicked smile.

Legolas should have expected that. Getting permission had been too easy. At least they were still going.

Legolas searched for his horse, but it was nowhere to be found. The only horses that were saddled were three ponies used to train elflings when they first learned to ride; Legolas hadn’t ridden one of those in decades. Legolas looked to his father again, who was now laughing uncontrollably alongside Elrond.

“Did you really think we had forgotten the scare the three of you gave us? These horses will make sure you don’t make any more quick getaways,  _ tithen las. _ ” 

Legolas was about to argue, when Thranduil interrupted him.

“I never said which horse you could ride,” said Thranduil between laughs.

“Neither did I,” added Elrond, also in between laughs.

Legolas looked at the twins; they were equal parts astonished and upset. The three of them grudgingly mounted their ponies and set off, surrounded by the company of guards. The ponies they were riding were especially trained to go at the slowest pace possible, so it would be a long time before they got anywhere fun. Legolas thought it might have been faster if they got off and walked.

It took a long while for them to be out of Thranduil and Elrond’s sight.  
  


“Serves them right for what they put us through,” said Thranduil.

“The boys want the two of you to visit us in Imladris as soon as possible. They said that Legolas already accepted the invitation, and he’s going to try and convince you to accept.”

  
  


Thranduil’s eyes went wide. “Oh dear,” was all he could respond. 

The three elflings had become fast friends and there would be no way to keep them apart now. All that was left was to batten down the hatches and prepare for the mischief the three of them would be getting into in the coming centuries. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Any comments, suggestions, or constructive criticisms are welcome and appreciated. :)


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